One way to understand the influence of Personality on romantic relationship points us back to the two building blocks at the heart of each Personality: 1. our preferred realm for relating to ourselves and the world (social, ideas, or physical); and, 2. how we are motivated in the face of challenges (as the Explorer, the Changemaker, or the Connector.) Each of these elements impacts our perceptions, feelings and behaviors as we approach romantic interests and possibilities.
Relationship based Reality TV offers an up-close and personal vicarious experience, satisfying our need for emotional adventure in the safety of our living room, promising to carry us and any emotional baggage we choose to tantalizing romantic peaks we should not expect to reach on our own.
The love sherpas of media, Reality Romance formats make our romantic aspirations feel attainable by rewarding us for watching someone else take on the work, risk and pain of the process. Each of the formats listed in the previous post [The Bachelor/ Bachelorette (2003); Millionaire Matchmaker (2008); 90-day Fiancee (2014); Married at First Sight (2014); Love Island (2015); Love After Lockup (2018); Back with the Ex (2018); Dating Around (2019), and Love Is Blind (2020)] vies for our loyalty by promising access to secret places that will fulfill our quest for the ultimate love story.
The next post will begin exploring how we are drawn toward the reality romance formats that hold particular appeal for our Personality building blocks.
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